KOLHAPUR: Two days after Amul dairy hiked milk prices, state’s largest cooperative dairy Kolhapur Zilla Dudh Utpadak Sangh — popularly known as Gokul dairy — also decided to follow suit by increasing the rates by Rs 2 per litre for milk being sold in Mumbai and Pune.
The price revision will come into effect from July 11. Around 11 lakh litre of pouched milk is sold in both the metro cities. The selling price of pouched milk in Mumbai and Pune will now be Rs 60 and Rs 49 per litre for buffalo and cow’s milk respectively. However, the dairy has decided against hiking the selling price of milk being sold in Kolhapur and Konkan region where around 2 lakh litre of milk is sold every day.
The dairy has also decided to increase the procurement price of milk to benefit the milk producing farmers from Kolhapur district. MVA ministers Satej Patil and Hasan Mushrif along with Member of Parliament Sanjay Mandlik had promised the farmers to increase the procurement price of milk before the recently concluded Gokul elections.
Due to this promise the trio had managed to topple the incumbent panel led by leaders who were at the helm of dairy politics for the last three decades. “We have decided to increase the procurement prices. We will ensure the milk collection from the district is increased so that more farmers can benefit from this,” Patil said.
The procurement price for buffalo milk with 7.0% fat has been increased by Rs 2 per litre to Rs 46 per litre. The procurement price for cow’s milk has been increased by Re 1 per litre and the new price for 4% fat milk will be Rs 28.50 per litre.
The hike in procurement price will cost the dairy Rs 71 crore annually and will be compensated by the hike in selling price. Around Rs 69 crore will be collected from customers through the hike and the dairy will suffer a burden of Rs 2 crore due to the price revision. Gokul dairy generates a revenue of Rs 2,100 crore every year and the MVA leaders have resolved to increase collection of milk to 20 lakh litre in the next five years.
